Retention

How to spell retention

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce retention

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does retention mean?

1. nounThe act of keeping or holding something, such as staff, customers, knowledge, or fluid, rather than losing or releasing it.

Retention in a sentence

• The company improved staff retention by offering flexible hours.

• Good sleep supports the retention of new information.

Where does retention come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Retention comes from the Latin retentio, a noun built on retinere, meaning 'to hold back' or 'to keep'. That verb joins re-, here meaning 'back', with tenere, the verb 'to hold', so the literal idea was holding something back rather than letting it go. English took the word in the late 1300s through Old French retention, first in medical and legal senses about keeping or holding fluids and rights. The same tenere root holds together a whole family of English words, including retain, tenant, tenacious, and contain, which is a useful clue that the middle is spelled t-e-n and not t-i-o straight away. The modern spread of meanings, from keeping staff to keeping water or keeping facts in memory, all trace back to that single idea of holding on.

How the word is built

• re- (back)
• tent (from Latin tenere: to hold)
• -ion (noun suffix)